I really don't know what to do here. I want to get rid of the chrome on my car by making it all body colored (i.e. headlight rings, door handles, gas cap, etc.). I would also like to make the roof body colored. Is chrome really hard to paint? WHat would be the advantages of one over the other. I know nothing about vinyl, but it seems like it would need to be replaced after a certain period of time. And what about the cost aspect??

Please help! THANKS!

 

It's a lot cheaper to do vinyl, and reversable justin case down the road you change your mind. I have had a lot of work done by Langston@Vinylstyles, he's a perfectionist...like me!!! He's done both outside and inside pieces, and they look killer.......paint will chip over time, cost more, and once you do it....it's forever......good luck

 

I had my door handles painted body color and one of them has a small chip it it now. So you can consider that.

Also, look at aesthetic creations because he now sells molded pieces for most of the parts you want to cover. And he does them body color too if you want. Like this.,



I would do that if I were you.

 

the covers are nice, but 200 dollars for two small pieces of fiberglass? ouch.

look into plastidip...seems to be a popular option. unlike vinyl its very easy to apply. and unlike paint, its removable....best of both worlds. and its about $5 a can. theres a thread in this forum about black-out mods...lots of info about plastidip there. however if you're stuck on using your silver body color, you'll have to stick with vinyl or paint as plastidip doesnt come in many color choices.

 

I painted my headlight rings and after a year and a half, no chips. Of course i used ceramic engine block paint. My gas cap is powdercoated. I would say that vinyl on the door handles because of the wear and tear on the paint. Ordering parts with vinyl already applied is the easiest method though.

 

Where did you get $200 from? (edit- you saw the carbon fiber price) The door handles are $80 color matched.

And I have used the plastidip and it looks pretty good if you want black.

 

Yeah, i used the drop down and selected colored fiberglass. It didnt say to subtract a dollar amount, nor did it do it itself. for $80 it would be worth it just to not have to remove those pesky handles.

EDIT- found them finally! totally different section on the site. I would have never found them on my own. thanks for the info. and only $50 for flatblack, very nice. anyone want to buy my yet to be installed handles?

 

AC's new parts are molded Plastic parts and under a new section. Just found them myself the other day. If I had not already got the CF stuff I would totally do the plastic covers. They look really good to me.

That might be just what your looking for.

www.aestheticreations.net/moldedparts.htm

 

funky, i notice you got the ones that cover your key access, are they easy to remove? do they snap on or adhere on? i like the clean look, but would be paranoid that if my keyfob battery dies, id be struggling to get into my locked car.

Edit: they may not even be your car that u posted the pic of, sorry.

 

That's a pretty good idea that AC has done. Compared to how much it costs to vinyl wrap the door handles. Not sure what it would cost to paint, but I'm sure it's tedious. I'm curious how they attach as well.

I don't like the thought of my decisions being permanent so I think vinyl will probably be the way to go.

 

Vinyl wasn't that expensive, only $10 more...Lyle did mine in white and they look awesome.

 

Lyle is your man and he will be in Las Vegas for AMVIV at the end of march. He has done all of the work on my car as well as many of my friends . He has wrapped entire cars including his Mini and has a Gallardo, and a Merc SL schedualed to be done for the upcoming Hot Import Nights show in Nor Cal. He is a vendor on NAM and here is his link.

http://www.lylesvinylstyles.net/

Randy
M7 Tuning

Hes been all over my car

 

Not my car, but I have been talking to Mike from AC and the covers clip onto the OEM handle. He told me that they will have double sided tape for good measure, but they shouldn't really need it. So it definitely isn't a permanent mod.

Personally I am going to do the same thing a the photo I posted and delete the key hole. I figure if I need to get to it I can take the cover off with a little effort. I just can't decide if I want black or body color. I should have them on by AMVIV though.

Also, FWIW Lyles vinyl costs more than the AC pieces, and the AC ones are more than likely a far better product in the long run because of how they are made vs. vinyl that can tear easily. Just my .02¢ though.

 

Gas Cap I suggest you do your self. It's very easy even a klutz like me can do it. Spray it down with plastidip and you'll never regret it. The beltline is easy too. Go to homedepot and buy some 3M weather proof electric tape. Cheaper and better than the stuff you buy online. For door handles, plastidip is not as good, I know because the handles get touched often, it started to peel. The headlight rings get chips and etc. over time from paint and plastidip, so I'd rather go to Aesthetic Creations and get their stuff in flat black. It's a great price.

 

Are you referring to the door handles, because for $10 more I'll do vinyl. My pricing shows that the handles, vinyl wrapped, are $250! $80 for a plastic piece versus $250 for vinyl??? Pretty steep difference.

 

Vinyl Styles does the handles for $90 per pair . There is a refundable core charge of $ 100 if you are doing this thru the mail .

Randy
M7 Tuning

 

If I was still around I have a whole roll of vinyl that matches almost perfect tp the MINI Dark Silver. I got my vinyl from beacongraphics.com but can't remember off hand which exact color and company made the vinyl. I believe it was the link here and was medium charcoal to match DS. http://www.beacongraphics.com/suppli...-metallic.html

 

Another thing to consider about the vinyl is that you have to remove your handles and swap them out. It really isn't all that hard, but my drivers side lock hasn't worked the same since. I would definitely not take them off again.

 

I swapped mine out...first one took about 2 hrs, second took 20 minutes

 

taking the handles off and reinstalling them was very difficult for me and took 5 hrs or so. Maybe i didnt have the right tool and my forearms are pretty meaty didn't help either. Its way too much potch/fuss and if there is a clip on option you should strongly consider that if it matches your color needs.

I would plastidip my headlight rings if I were going for black but i dont want racoon eyes on my red car so I will paint and clearbra them. The vinyl is not a good color match for chilli red otherwise i would have considered that also.

 

- Question for those who did Plastidip on chromed parts (gas lid etc)

- Did you guys take the chrome off first and then sprayed them ? OR just sprayed onto the chrome ?

Ive heard paint will chip if painted over chrome over time, without any clear anyway.

 

Most folks just wiped them down with 90% isopropyl alcohol and then 'dipped. Beauty of the dip is that if you screw it up or don't like it it just peels off.

 

I dipped my gas door and all is still good. The specks you see is dirt and stuff, not the chrome coming though. I did 4 coats around June I believe.

 

yeah just clean the surface with rubbing alcohol. thats whats great bout the plastidip...you can always return back to stock.

 

2 hours to replace the handles? 5 hours to replace the handles? I think I'll be getting plastic covers for the doors. As for the headlight rings, if you were to paint them do you take the rings off the headlight assembly or are they fixed to it? Take paint out of the equation for the headlight rings. What's the benefit of vinyl over the plastic molded rings on AC's site?